Pubdate: Tue, 06 Sep 2005
Source: Brandon Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005, Brandon Sun
Contact: http://www.brandonsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2437
Author: Chris Buors
HARD TIME DOESN'T HELP
Judging by Merv Tweed's diatribe in his letter to the editor Tories Will
Take On Crime (Aug. 30) Merv, like the rest of the Tories, has no clue of
what the difference between vice and crime is.
Well-respected American jurist Lysander Spooner wrote Vices Are Not Crimes
in 1875. The short of it is that vices are harms we do to ourselves and
crimes are harm to another person or their property.
Methamphetamine hydrochloride, crystal meth, is sold as Desoxyn to children
for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to adults for obesity --
apparently without incident or addiction to worry about. Essential crystal
meth is the crack of amphetamines, or bennies as older readers would
understand it.
Quadrupling punishments has been the only solution politicians have ever
come up with when faced with a so-called "drug problem." Prohibition has
never worked for any substance anywhere, any time, so what makes Merv Tweed
think it is going to work this time? Canadians had better be prepared to do
without their cold medications because that is the sacrifice that
legislators are going to ask consumers to pay.
Self-medication was a natural right humanity was granted since time began
up until 100 years ago. Other than the political classes having a scapegoat
to blame for all society's ills, who benefits? Certainly not the consumers
who pay inflated prices for all those protections the politicians have put
in place over the last 100 years.
It is time to restore our natural right to drugs and the responsibility
that goes with the ownership of such valuable properties. Isn't that what
true conservatism is really all about?
CHRIS BUORS, President
Marijuana Party of Manitoba
Winnipeg
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman